When Spinner dialed punk rockers the Yuppie Pricks for this interview, we weren't quite sure what to expect. The quartet of privileged suburban frat boys (Trevor Middleton, Deuce Hollingsworth, Preston Hetherington III and Nigel Smythen-Wesson), along with their intern Ricky, bathe in irony almost as much as they do in Polo Sport cologne, performing a roster of songs that celebrate popping collars, driving hummers, and holding offshore bank accounts. When the Yuppie Pricks finally answered their phone (after numerous rings), what greeted us on the other end was not a voice, but rather a full on punk explosion: ten minutes of hardcore thrashing, obnoxiously wicked guitar licks and bombastic drumming. Finally putting their instruments down, they laughed snootily and asked, "How'd you like that? You'd better put that in the article, 'cause we just owned you."

Are you guys having a rehearsal right now?

Yeah, Trevor's got such a big garage, we just backed out the Bentley and the Ferraris and now we're having a little practice so we can hear how good we sound.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Awesome. Like certain parts of Christie Brinkley's anatomy covered in specific illegal substances.

How did your band form?

Trevor is the genius who brought us all together. He 'd taken over the family pharmaceutical business, had a lot of cash and leisure time, and needed something new in his life- the models and blow weren't cutting it anymore. One day he accidentally ended up in CBGB while scouting locations to demolish for a new building, listened to some punk rock, and came up with a way to exploit the music for his own personal gain. He recruited his prep school/frat boy buddy Deuce to play some guitar -- did you know Deuce is self-taught? He's absolutely brilliant. Did you also know that Deuce is the only third generation divorce lawyer in the Midwest? And that he's the 2003 Men's National Croquet Association Champion?

Norwegian rock troupe Serena-Maneesh are making their second trip to SXSW this year -- four years after they first stormed the festival and came face-to-face with the almighty morning barbecue (more on that later). This year the five-piece heads to Texas armed with a follow-up to their darkly lush self-titled debut that, with its trippy noise tracks, sounds a lot like its title, 'S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor.' Before they head down to show off the new material, we caught up with frontman Emil Nikolaisen to discuss magic mushroom pots, his staunch stance on the Beatles vs. Stones debate and much more.

Please describe your sound in your own words.

It's as if you threw a brick through a rainbow into a wall of glass.

How did your band form?

It's a little bit strange. We have somehow, through crazy adventures [stuck together]. It started during our juvenile years -- My sister [Hilma Nikolaisen] and I have never separated.

And Tommy [Akerholdt] the drummer as well --it's like the family you can never deny. You know this character Obelix of [the French comic book] Asterix? During his youth, Obelix fell into a magical pot of some kind of hallucinogenic -- and gained an ability to always be naturally high. Tommy is like that ... like he fell into a pot of magic mushrooms. He's never come back; he's always remained a free-floating spirit. He never returned to normal but in a really, really great way. [Laughs]

As a consummate artist, DJ Benzi is never willing to settle for second best. Blending the musical creations from the rock, rap and hip-hop worlds, he uses his own musical genius and takes an amazing work of art and makes it even better. Spinner speaks with Ben (DJ Benzi) about his music and influences ahead of his stint at SXSW.

How did you come up with your name?

My first name's Ben. Also, my parents gave me my first car in high school, a 1972 bright yellow Mercedes that was real old school. The name came from the car mixed with my real name.

When did you start DJing and what got you into it?

I started in ninth grade. I bought a starter pack and worked my way up. By the end of high school I wasn't going to prom, I was DJing the prom. I went on to college and did all the frat parties and the bars there, and the rest is history.

I got into it because I was obsessed with rap music and music in general. I used to drive down to Detroit and hang out to the record stores. I met my mentor, one of Dilla's friends, and went from there. Just started collecting vinyl. It was something I was into from the start.

What are some of your musical influences?

My parents were obsessed with Stevie Wonder and that kind of Motown stuff so I was definitely was into that. Then coming up Outkast's first album and the Wu-Tang stuff was a crazy influence for me. Then shifting to high school I was way into the indie stuff but also the commercial stuff, the Alice DeeJay stuff, the '90s dance stuff. Almost every type of thing you can imagine.

The Spit Brothers are dubstep artists that formed in San Francisco in 2007. Ric Baker (a.k.a. Bakir) and Daniel Karz-Wagman (a.ka. Dubsworth) both attended Berklee School of Music in Boston, but were not introduced until they had both moved out west. Their music is unique in that it includes live instrumentation in a genre that is DJ-dominated. Baker grew up as jazz trumpeter, and Wagman was a rock and blues guitarist. The primary sound of the band is dub, dub-step, afro-beat, reggae and funk. They have releases out on Full Melt Records and Dubs Alive (Baker is owner and managing director) with a full length album expected out in October. SXSW marks the band's first festival appearance. They are part of the Surefire Agency showcase on March 17. They have previously performed club dates in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Northern California. Spinner spoke with Ric Baker about dub step music and the band's upcoming SXSW showcase.

Tell me how the Spit Brothers started.

While Daniel and I both went to Berklee School Of Music in Boston, we didn't know each other at the time. I moved to San Francisco in 2004, just looking for a change, and I knew the electronic scene here was something notable. Daniel moved out here in 2005, and a mutual friend connected us. I had been working on some more up tempo tracks, and Daniel played over my tracks with his bass guitar. It just took off from there.

Where did you come up with the name?

I have a group of friends in Boston and that is just how we referred to ourselves, sort of making fun of the whole blood brothers thing, kind of a light interpretation of that. It eventually evolved into the band.

Scottsdale, Arizona natives the Summer Set are an upbeat, energetic, pop rock band that have been influenced by bands like Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind and other '90s alternative music. The band was formed by in high school by friends, brothers John and Steven Gomez, along with drummer Jessica Bowen. They later recruited singer Brian Dales and guitarist Josh Montgomery. The Summer Set put out their first EP in 2007 and in late 2009 their first full length LP, 'Love Like This' on Razor and Tie. Though barely out of their teens, the band will make their third trip to Austin for this year's SXSW. Spinner caught up with Brian and Josh to discuss the band, and what it's like to play at SXSW when you're just out of high school.

Can you tell me how the band started?

John and Steven are brothers, and they started the band with Jess. They have been playing together since they were in middle school. They played soccer and were all in bands during high school. Their band broke up near the end of high school. They were looking to start a new band, and they put out a call for a new singer, and that's where I [Brian] came into the band. The original guitarist left after a couple of months, and we found Josh who went to high school with the other guys. He ended up being our "replacement" and we haven't been able to get rid of him [laughing].

How did you come up with the name of the band?

John, Steven and Jess found the name in a road atlas (Somerset, N.J.) We were about to go into the studio and we didn't want to be called Band A or something like that, so at that point it was like we just need a name. Now we have fans from all over that send us photos of street signs, and road signs with the name on them.

If anything is big in Texas, it's certainly the buzz around San Antonio's Girl in a Coma. Discovered and signed by Joan Jett after participating in a cable TV show called 'Jammin',' the three girls took their punk tinged soulful tunes and charted iTunes and Billboard. They've opened for bands like Tegan and Sara, Social Distortion and Morrissey, and they'll be playing a showcase and panel at this years SXSW festival. Spinner talked to front woman Dina Diaz on the band and its influences.

Describe your sound in your own words.
It's very eclectic. I find that we can fit in with whatever genre we're put with on a bill. Right now we're touring with Xiu Xiu and it seems like we match up with the sound and the feeling. I guess to put it best, we're alternative or just good music to drink a beer to. It's soulful in a way that we really appreciate the music we play and how we're giving it out to the public.

How did the band form?

The drummer is my sister, and her and Jen, the bass player, are both friends. They were in a bunch of bands together at a younger age. They're some years older than I am. When I was 12, I started playing guitar and they were looking for a front person. At 13, I started building up the courage to show them a song. They liked it and asked if I wanted to be their frontperson. At that time I didn't want to be stuck in the house anymore, I wanted to go out and play some shows. We've been together ever since. We did this highlight episode for a show called 'Jammin',' which was about the struggle of female-based groups. In the climax of the show, Joan Jett actually came out and she was supposed to just give us the word of advice, but she ended up actually liking us and get signed onto her label, which is Black Heart Records. I was 17 at the time. It's been five years.

After waging a hard-fought war for cyber supremacy, L.A.'s Shadow Shadow Shade -- formerly Afternoons -- stands ready to gather new fans at SXSW. What began as an art project between members Ben and Steven quickly grew to a lineup that features seven members. Spinner recently caught up with Ben and Steven where we talked about the name change, the Vietnam War and the best way to cure a hangover.

How did the band form?

It started as an art project, actually. Steven and I had written songs while we were touring with another band. While we were on the road, we talked about recording these, and I had randomly met Tom Biller who is a producer. I told him about the project, and he said to come over and record the songs, so we did. About halfway through he said he wouldn't mind being a part of it if we planned to play these live. Then we heard there was a choir in Silver Lake that was doing live Beach Boys and Mamas and Papas covers, and we thought it'd be cool to have [a] live choir sing these songs. It was then they [the songs] really started to come to fruition. Then we gave our demo to the Great Northern, I think it was, and a few other friends. Then one day we were driving and heard our song on the radio. Then we started getting offers from two of the major promoters in Silver Lake, and we started taking it seriously and getting everyone involved.

In order to avoid confusion with the Welsh band Afternoons, you recently changed your name. How did you come up with the new one?

It took us seven painstaking months. We had started to do really well as Afternoons and just started to identify ourselves with the moniker. Having seven very opinionated members, it's impossible to come to a decision. It came down to the deadline because we were finishing up the album. It was the final night in its final hours, and we all went to a bar. We decided that by the time we left, we would be named. Then Steven just randomly said you know how about Shadow Shadow Shade, and we just all liked it simultaneously.